1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to board games and, more specifically, to an educational board game which allows players to gain knowledge in the subject of American conspiracies. The board game is comprised of authentic previously classified U.S. government documents that have been released through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and newspaper article conspiracies involving the American people and culture including Unidentified Flying Object (crashes, sightings, abductions) various U.S. military biological and chemical experiments conducted on U.S. civilians and members of the armed forces without their knowledge and other events that were once discussed and have know been forgotten. There are five separate series of conspiracy files; the first series comes free with the game, the other four series must be purchased separately.
RULES OF PLAY
Purpose:
To become the most educated on American conspiracies by collecting and acquiring individual conspiracy information files, platinum, money, gold, silver and stocks.
Supplies:
The included equipment is a triangular board, 2 regular dice, 1 money die, game player icons, gold coins (value $400.00), silver coins (value $50.00), platinum (value $1000.00) coins, drug stock, oil stock, $100.00, $10.00, $15.00 $5.00 dollar bills, and one conspiracy file for each of the 48 conspiracies and 52 mystery cards. Also included is a vault to store the gold, silver, platinum coins and play money.
Stability:
First make sure all players are mentally stable. The information in this game is real and might alter ones positive perspectives of the world in a pessimistic way. Children should only play the game in the company of compassionate adults.
Getting Started:
Place the triangle on a flat surface place the mystery cards on the board in the red brick triangle. Each player chooses an icon to identify him/her as they move clockwise around the board. Place one gold coin in the middle of the board. This gold coin will be awarded to anyone who lands on the Saucer Diamond.
Each player will get $3050.00 in assets from the vault at the start of the game. 1 platinum coin (value $1000.00), 2 gold coins (value $800.00), 4 shares of oil stock (value $400.00), 10 silver coins (value $500.00), 10 shares of drug stock (value $200.00), 5 fifteen dollar bills, 5 ten dollar bills, 5 five dollar bills. All remaining assets, stocks, gold, silver, money and platinum will be stored in the vault with the conspiracy files.
Money cannot be exchanged for stock directly from the bank. The only exception to this rule is if the mystery card the player draws permits it. Stock can be used at face value to pay any dept to other players or to the vault. Players can sell stock between each other for any price.
When players collect funds from the vault they can only receive one share of stock per transaction if they choose. Stocks can run out, if there are no stocks left in the vault then money must be substituted for any payments that come from the money die or mystery cards.
Saucer Diamond
A gold coin will be placed in the middle of the board prior to the start of the game.
Any fees/fines that players have to pay because of mystery cards will also go into the middle of the board. If any player lands on the saucer diamond they collect all the money that has accumulated in the middle of the board along with the gold coin. Another gold coin is place in the middle of the board after all the assets are collected.
Chief Financial Officer:
Select a CFO to keep track of all the assets in the vault and to manage the conspiracy files. The CFO or other players will not be allowed to read any of the conspiracy files while the game is in play.
All player icons will start on the red start diamond and move clockwise around the board. If a player rolls doubles the player continues to play. The player then has a choice to pass on their turn or roll again. If doubles are rolled for a third time the player must place $50.00 in the middle of the board and pass the dice to the next player.
After a player makes a full revolution around the board and passes the start point he/she rolls the money die once and receives the amount shown from the vault on the money die.
Purchasing Conspiracy Files:
All players must make one full revolution around the board before they can purchase conspiracy files unless they are playing a rapid game. The player must first land on the conspiracy file, and then he/she purchase that conspiracy from the CFO. The player then must read the entire file excluding the three questions aloud so everyone can learn about that file no note taking is permitted during the game.
Trading Conspiracy Files:
Conspiracy Files can be traded between players and sold for money. If a player lands on a file and cannot afford to pay the ransom this player loses and the other player who owns the file gets to pick one file from the losing players files. The rest of the files go back to the CFO and can only be purchased of a player lands on them.
Paying Ransom Money:
If you land on someone else's conspiracy file you are then held hostage and must pay a ransom to continue or try to answer a question about the file. If you answer the question correctly you will owe nothing and continue on your way. If you give the wrong answer you will now owe double of what was originally owed. The owner of the file can choose to let you look at the card to verify your answer is right or wrong so other players cannot learn the correct answer (s) for that file, there are three questions on each file. If all of one section of colors of conspiracy files is owned by one player the amount of ransom money owed will be compounded.
CIA:
If the CIA as a result of a mystery card is holding you captive you must place $100.00 worth of assets in the center of the board to be freed.
End of the Game:
The game will continue until the last player is eliminated or quits. No player will borrow any assets from the vault or other players at any time.
Mystery Cards:
If you land on the mystery card spaces you will draw one card and follow the directions for that card, all players must adhere to the mystery cards regardless of who draws the card.
Conspiracy File Series:
There are five series of conspiracy files for the American Conspiracy game. The first series comes with the game and additional series can be purchased separately. Different conspiracy file series can be mixed together to make the game more challenging and interesting.
Rapid Game:
The game starts out as normal but the first five conspiracy files each player lands on he/she acquires without payment to the CFO. The normal rule of having to make one revolution around the board before acquiring files is also not enforced. A time limit may be discussed at the beginning and the player who can answer three or more of the conspiracy challenge questions from their opponents will be the winner. If no players can answer three or more conspiracy challenge questions correctly the player with the most assets and Conspiracy files will declare victory by default when the time limit is up.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are other board games designed for various educational purposes. While these board games may be suitable for the purposes for which they where designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described. It is thus desirable to provide a board game, which is designed to present American conspiracy knowledge to all persons involved in play. It is further desirable that this game utilizes American conspiracy information that is not easily attainable thereby making this particular board game both educational and entertaining.